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Car Up For Grabs

ST. MARYS — Area residents have an opportunity to win a 1991 red corvette for as little as $2, as an area organization has kicked off its annual fundraiser.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Auglaize, Mercer and Van Wert Counties is hosting its third annual corvette raffle, in which area residents can buy raffle tickets to win a car. This year’s two-door corvette features a red leather interior, an automatic transmission, a hatchback body style and a V8 engine. The car has 54,000 miles on it. Raffle tickets for the corvette are $2 for one ticket and $5 for three tickets. The drawing for the car will be held on Sept. 29 at the Community Health Fair during the Bluffton Fall Festival. All proceeds raised in the raffle will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Auglaize, Mercer and Van Wert Counties.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Auglaize, Mercer and Van Wert Counties Executive Director Abby Balster said the fundraiser is run in conjunction with another area organization.

“It’s anchored through the Bluffton Lions Foundation,” she said.

“They get the corvette and they bring it to different locations. There are about 15 to 20 agencies that sell tickets for it, so a lot of the legwork is done by someone else. That makes it a lot easier for us to just go out and sell the tickets and not have to do all the footwork for it.”

The corvette will be on display at several community events over the next six months, and raffle tickets will be available for purchase at each of the events.

Area residents have their first opportunity to check out the corvette from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at Bud’s Chevrolet in St. Marys.

“It will be on display at Bud’s Chevrolet,” Balster said. “They’re having their Chevrolet Part Swap, so we’ll be there for that. We’ll also be there for their corvette show ( from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 12).”

The car will also be on display at the Auglaize-Mercer Car Show in Wapakoneta, the Celina Lake Festival and the Summerfest Cruise In, among others. For a complete list of display dates and times, visit Bbbsma.com.

In addition to the displays, tickets are also available at the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Auglaize, Mercer and Van Wert Counties office, located at 204 E. Spring St., St. Marys. Balster noted that a check can also be mailed to the office at P.O. Box 304, St. Marys, Ohio, 45885.

“They can mail in a check — we get a lot of that, where people will just mail in checks,” Balster said. “We’ll fill out the tickets and we’ll send them a receipt in the mail.”

Balster said Big Brother Big Sisters of Auglaize, Mercer and Van Wert Counties continues to hold the raffle because of the community’s interest in the fundraiser.

“It is a really good fundraiser for us,” she said. “The community loves it. It gives them an opportunity to possibly get a corvette for $5. We’ve seen a really good response from the community with this fundraiser.”

A United Way of Auglaize County partner agency, Big Brother Big Sisters “seeks to make a positive difference in the lives of children by promoting their self-esteem, expanding their awareness of life’s opportunities and providing them with guidance and support through long-term, one-to-one mentorships with caring adult volunteers,” according to the organization’s website.